Do Air Purifiers Remove Mold?
What is Mold and Why is it a Problem?
Finding and removing mold growing indoors can be a
nightmare for homeowners. This pesky family of fungi can grow and spread rapidly over practically any household
surface, and if it isn't dealt with quickly it can cause major problems. As mold is a fungus that relies on high
humidity and moisture to grow, finding a large source of mold inside can indicate deeper problems in the home, such
as leaking pipes, poor ventilation in kitchens and bathrooms, and overall high humidity. When mold grows in these
areas it can continue to add to the problem, as it can break down organic materials for food, causing wood and
fabric materials to decay.
Even worse, mold releases spores into the air in order
to reproduce, and these spores can be harmful to human health when inhaled. Long term exposure to high
concentrations of mold spores can cause health problems such as allergic reactions and asthma attacks, and some mold
can even be toxic in high quantities. Tackling a mold problem at home is a high priority both to keep your family
healthy as well as because once mold has spread to too many places or grown too large it may need to be treated by a
professional removal and remediation company.
How Does Mold Grow?
There are two
major components that mold needs to flourish and thrive - a moist environment and a food source. Food, for mold, can
be a number of very common household items, such as wood, fabric, fibers - even the organic residue and oils that we
leave behind on surfaces through touch. With so many potential food sources, the element of moisture is the most
critical for mold growth. If humidity is above 60% indoors, mold will easily be able to grow and spread. Even lower
humidity levels can invite mold growth if other conditions are right.
In order to find a habitable
place on which to grow, mold sends out spores into the air - tiny little seed-like particles that float through the
air until they settle onto a surface. If the little spores find food and moisture there, then they will rapidly take
hold and spread. Sometimes mold spores come from other patches of mold growing inside the home, but just as often
they can float in from the outside, particularly in areas that have damp, leafy areas nearby.
Do
Air Purifiers Remove Mold?
While an air purifier cannot remove mold from a surface once it begins
to grow, using an air purifier with a true HEPA filter is a crucial part of removing mold spores from the
air.
When used properly, an air purifier with a true HEPA filter will circulate all of the air from a room multiple times
in an hour, drawing the air - and all the particles floating in it - through the filter. While air itself will pass
easily through the filter, mold spores and other particle pollutants will become trapped in the fibers, allowing the
air purifier to release clean, fresh air back into the house. Whether the spores are coming from an existing problem
or if they are sneaking in from outside, if they are floating in the air, the air purifier can filter them out
before they have a chance to settle onto surfaces.
Why Choose a Rabbit Air Purifier to Remove
Mold?
Our MinusA2 air purifiers are an excellent part
of your arsenal against mold growth in the home. The MinusA2 draws in air from the room from 360º
around the Front Panel, allowing for constant circulation and air flow, drawing in any mold spores, particles, or
pollutants that are floating in the air.
Once the air as been drawn in to the air purifier, it will
pass through our advanced six stage filtration system, including five specially designed filters and our Negative
Ion Generator. Mold spores are easily trapped by our BioGS HEPA filter, which has been specially
designed using bio-engineered technology to not only trap particles with true HEPA efficiency, capturing 99.97% of
particles at 0.3 microns in size, but to keep those trapped mold spores from continuing to grow and spread on the
filters. Mold may be able to grow inside other air purifiers with standard HEPA filters, but our advanced and
specialized technology prevents this from happening.
Our MinusA2 air purifiers also come with a
customizable filter, designed to help increase efficiency in the area of most concern. By selecting the Germ Defense‡
filter, our MinusA2 becomes a mold preventing powerhouse, with four of the five filters capable of effectively
removing mold spores from the air.
Sources:
http://www.mnn.com/health/healthy-spaces/stories/how-to-inhibit-mold-growth
http://www.epa.gov/iedmold1/moldguide.html